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A member of the Fitzrovia Youth In Action team taking part in the Peer-to-Peer street marketing project, which involved taking to the streets to hand out information on drugs to other youngsters |
‘It’s high time our parents knew more about drugs today!’
Youth group launch DVD aimed at educating older generation about substances on street
YOUNG people in Fitzrovia have launched a DVD to better educate a generation they feel is ignorant about drugs culture – their parents.
Members of Fitzrovia Youth in Action turned the tables this week with the DVD, which aims to improve communication between young and old by teaching parents about the substances their children could be exposed to today.
Ricky Maginnis, 17, one of the Fitzrovia members involved in producing the DVD, said: “I know very few people who discuss stuff like sex and drugs with their parents. We wanted to help parents feel more comfortable talking to their children by giving them communication tips and facts about drugs.”
Three thousand copies of the DVD, which was launched at the Celebrating Parents and Carers Family Fun Day last weekend at Haverstock School, will be distributed across Camden, targeting parents of 8 to 12-year-olds, mainly via family practitioners.
Donovan Wagner, a youth participation worker on drug and alcohol projects with the group, explained the importance of spreading the knowledge at an early age.
He said: “It’s a totally taboo subject for a lot of families. The earlier people get this information, the more time they’ll have to apply it to their kids before they start coming into contact with drugs.
“If parents are not strong enough or clued up on how to talk to their children, they can lose control.”
Developed with the support of Camden Drug Action Team, the DVD contains interviews with parents and young people, tips on how to improve communication and where to get further advice. It also includes an A-Z drug database.
Mr Wagner said: “Essentially we’re encouraging good family values.
“Everyone does it in their own way, but the more knowledge you have, the better you will be equipped to use it.”
And it’s not just parents who have benefited from the project. Craig Kitchen, 19, said working on the DVD had put him in contact with a lot of young people like himself.
He said: “The best thing about the project was learning about drugs, life in general and other people’s experiences with people of my own age.” |
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